Come enjoy a breakfast with Cheryl Forberg, RD, Award Winning Cookbook author and nutritionist for NBC’sThe Biggest Loser on Tuesday, November 2, 2010 7:30 AM- 9 AM at SYSCO Dallas, 800 Trinity Drive, Lewisville, TX. If you are a fan of this popular show, you can ask Cheryl questions about what takes place when the cameras are not rolling on the ranch and learn weight loss tips that Cheryl teaches to the Biggest Loser contestants. This full breakfast will even include Cheryl’s pumpkin polenta.

Register at http://www.dallasdietitian.com. Tickets are $25.00. All proceeds from this event will go to the American Institute of Wine and Food’s Days of Taste Program. The program was modeled after one in France and quickly picked up in our own country, now Days of Taste Dallas helps fourth and fifth graders from the Dallas public schools discover the farm to table concept as well. These students tour the Dallas Farmer’s Market and meet with local farmers and chefs who help to teach them about the local produce and how to grasp enthusiasm for local, fresh ingredients.

I’m a staunch supporter of buying local. I buy organic and try to stop by the local farmers market when I can (not as much as I’d like.) I made all my kiddos’ baby food because I wanted to know what was going into their body. I even go so far to try to dine only at local restaurant because there is a vested interest in their food. So, when I read about this upcoming event called Chefs for Farmers where local chefs with a passion for local ingredients paired with local farmers create market-to-menu dinners, my hubby and I jumped at the chance to attend. Fortunately, the date of the event coincided with the week of our 10 year anniversary.

The evening began with hors d’oeuvres. We mingled with “honey bee queen of the DFW area” Susan Pollard, Brian Luscher, the Executive Chef/Owner of The Grape Restaurant and his beautiful wife/General Manager Courtney Luscher, and Scardello Artisan Cheese owners Rich and Karen Rogers, and that was all before we sat down for dinner. At 5 p.m. sharp, we were rounded up and led to a table set for 80 in the middle of Eden’s pasture in Balch Springs, Texas. We were treated to a delectable five-course dinner by eight of Dallas’ premier chefs. The chefs of the night included Abraham Salum and Al Havens of Salum Restaurant; Bruno Davaillon of Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek; Janice Provost and Chad Houser of Parigi Restaurant; Matt McCallister of Stephan Pyles Restaurant; Nathan Tate and Randall Copeland of Restaurant Ava in Rockwall; and Ryan Tedder, sommelier of GRACE in Fort Worth.

Dinner pals included Jon and Amy Davis, owners of Hear, Hear Wines; Adam Jones, owner of GRACE in Fort Worth; Blaine Staniford, executive chef of GRACE in Fort Worth; Randall Copeland, chef/owner of Restaurant Ava; and my wonderful husband of 10 years. The weather was perfect, the sunset was absolutely gorgeous, and by the end of the night, it felt like one gigantic family dinner. It was truly a spectacular evening!

**The money we raise will not only help local farmers but goes specifically toward a great organization called The Gleaning Network , which collects surplus produce and makes sure it gets in the hands of people in Texas who really need it.**

1. Trader Joe’s Organic Mango Passion Granola
Each serving has four grams of fiber, six grams of protein and an utter lack of things like cholesterol, trans fats and artificials. The clusters of oats give it a satisfying, substantive crunch and the mango pieces provide a sweet-tart chew – enough to evoke a good deal of passion among its admirers.

2. Trader Joe’s Multigrain British Muffins
Not only do they have all the great taste and convenience of English muffins, they also boast a good dose of multigrain nuttiness. Each British Muffin contains much more fiber than the average English muffin.

3. Trader Joe’s Steelcut Oatmeal (found in frozen section.)

4. Trader Joe’s Greek Style Nonfat Yogurt
It features the creaminess you expect from Greek-style yogurt and is made with the milk of cows not treated with rBST. It’s also higher in protein than most yogurt—each eight ounce serving has 22 grams of protein!

6. Trader Joe’s Chicken Gyoza Potstickers (found in the frozen section.)
Steam, boil or fry Trader Joe’s MSG-free potstickers for a super-easy meal. Serve over rice with a splash of soy sauce or toss into some chicken broth for a simple soup.